sA^ BY 

^ ORACLES WESLEY KYLE. 




NO DESCRIPTION I 
HAVE EVER SEEN 
IH VE25E UPROSE 
W5 50 DELIG/iTLD ME* 

DR. L.H. BUNNELL 



Here are 16 nook} vJbere ffe blue- 
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&pd Ifc four-leasled dovler bloWs . 



YOSEMITE 

The World's Wonderland 

By CHARLES WESLEY KYLE 



WHAT EMINENT CRITICS SAY 



"No description I have seen in verse or prose has so delighted me as the 
one in the "Tourist" by Mr. Charles Wesley Kyle." 

DR. L. H. BUNNELL, Homer, Minn., June 25, 1894, 
In Winona "Republican." 

"Your article is one of the very best I have ever seen descriptive of Yosem- 
ite's wonders. Please send me all the copies that you can obtain of those issues 
in which it appears. I wish to send them to my friends." 

GALEN CLARK, for twenty years Guardian Yosemite Valley. 

"The' wonders of Yosemite have never been described more strikingly than 
by Charles Wesley Kyle, whose charming article will be hailed with delight by al| 
lovers of the Valley. Many of us feel and marvel at its unique and overpowering 
presence, but lack the language to describe it as he has so aptly done." 

PROF. J. M. HUTCHINGS, 
Author-Lecturer, for twenty years Guardian of the Valley. 

"A description so graphic and interesting as to mark his work pre-eminent. 
His work will live for he has written on the hearts of men." 

F. A. FALKENBURG, in Rocky Mountain News. 

We now quote from C. W. Kyle, whose word-painting of these (Yosemite) 
Falls is the best we have ever seen:---" 

D. J. FOLEY, Editor Yosemite "Tourist and Guide." 

"There is a thought of power and singular beauty in the following lines by 
C. W. Kyle." 

CATHEDRAL SPIRES 
"No foot has pressed those stairways dizzy, 

No hand has touched those silent bells, 
No mortal sacrastan there busy, 

Silence alone the story tells; 
Those aisles untrod, save by the spirits, 

Whose mortal forms rest 'neath the sod; 
They only have the power to hear its 
Chimes of God." 

REV. DR. THOMAS, of Chicago. 

"Your article which has just come under my notice is one of the most 
thoughtful and satisfactory I have seen regarding my work. 

LUTHER BURBANK, Santa Rosa, California. 



Copyrighted by 
CHARLES WESLEY KYLE 
1915 



Printed by Chase & Rae, 1246 Castro Street, S. F. 



YOSEMITE 

The World's Wonderland 




By CHARLES WESLEY KYLE 



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Yosemite 

'The 

World's Wonderland 



Silence ! Emotions new and strange here rise 

And sweep with cyclonic force the breast ! 

A new, strange world, all powerful and sublime, 

Enchains, enslaves and fetters all; 

The greatest most of all, are fettered most ; 

Only the pigmies chatter, and fools alone 

Find laughter here, where Nature speaks 

In tones of grandeur and sublimity! 

Strong lips are dumb and eyes unused to tears 

Are forced to yield the highest tribute of the soul 

To these grand thoughts of the eternal mind ! 



In the Golden West, where the towering mountains 

Pillow their heads on the breast of the sky; 
Where the storm-king stores in his frozen fountains 

Life for the valleys, when parched and dry; 
In a wonderland where God is splendor, 

His thought has spoken in words of stone, 
Grandeur sublime and Beauty tender — 

Guard His throne. 



2 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

'Mid massive domes of the Sierras' columns, 

Where power supreme to the eye is shown; 
Where an awe-inspiring vastness solemns 

The mind witli force of the Great Unknown, 
There lies a gem — a thought of beauty, 

Which the mountains guard, as the depths the sea, 
Where peace is law and joy is duty — 

Yosemite ! 



Its granite walls but the eagles follow. 

To dizzy heights in the distant sky ; 
No eye can see from their crests the hollow 

Where in peace the beautiful valleys lie. 
Xo foot has trod its sky-linked turrets ; 

The heaven's purple enmantles them, 
The crystal suoavs alone are for its 

Diadem. 



Long ages since a glacier rested 

Within these walls, and then begun 
Erosion's work, 'til of form divested — 

Slowly yielding to rain and sun — 
This ice king grand with beauty glowing. 

That here on high had reared its head, 
Hearing the sound of the South wind blowing, 

Left its bed. 



These massive walls remain unheeding 

The frosts of winter, the summer's sun. 
Alone, unmoved, by- every pleading 

By Nature voiced, since Time begun ; 
The winds, the storm, the rage volcanic, 

In vain to move their structure yearns, 
Jove's lance with seething hate satanic 

Futile burns. 

JUN 30 1915 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

The golden rays of the sunlight turning 

The icy bolts of the vaults of snow, 
Shone in, and, 'neath their kisses burning, 

The gems were wooed to a crystal flow. 
"River of Mercy" for all things near it, 

Dispensing life with its song of glee, 
White as a virgin's unsoiled spirit, 

Light and free. 



Swifter than winds or the flight of swallow, 

The milk-white waves of this river foam, 
On toward the granite-guarded hollow, 

Where bloom and joy find a welcome home; 
With plunge and shout, like distant thunder, 

It leaps from the brow of that mountain wall; 
It spins and weaves and bursts asunder 

In its fall. 



White rockets flash from the column's cover. 

Their courses marked by a silvery mist; 
Caught by the winds the spray-wreaths hover. 

In folds of light by the sunbeams kissed ; 
Veiling the river's lips which thunder, 

With sprays bejeweled and clouds high rolled, 
Beauty most rare ; magical wonder, 

Shot with gold ! 



Vision divine, unmoved and nameless. 

Thy wonders remain while ages fret ; 
Thy power unfettered and ever tameless. 

Thy Bows of Promise forever set ; 
Now by the gold of the sunlight painted. 

Now by the rays of the Night's pale bride; 
Matchless work of all things created— 

Deified ! 



4 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

Thy castled walls sphinx-like forever, 

Their silent story ceaseless tell, 
Unto the crystal foaming river, 

Whose tones of thunder, chimes of bell, 
Voice the only thought here spoken 

Of ages past which one may know, 
Heard in the words unchanged, unbroken — 

"Long ago." 

Throne of the continent ! Queen of all splendor ! 

Creation supernal! Work wholly divine! 
AVhen touched by thy presence the cold heart grows tender, 

And reels with a joy as though drunken with wine ; 
Transcendent valley with sky-woven ceiling, 

Rivers that murmur, white-lipped falls that roar, 
Records divine, His wonders revealing, 

More and more. 



^^~&>cA-^fe» 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 



YOSEMITE 



The measure of greatness is effect. Power and force 
expressed in mountain, sea or storm, are measured by the 
effect produced. The effect depends upon the nature and 
capacity of the register. 

Nature, in motion or repose, stands alone — unchallenged, 
unapproached in works of power. Her groupings of eternal 
peaks and domes, tossed heavenward by unmeasured volcanic 
force and ocean power, record her mightiest efforts. Grand- 
eur and sublimity there voicing. If read aright they lead the 
soul into the mansions of the King. 

In attempting to delineate the effect of natural wonders, 
we realize that "language is but a veil concealing thought," 
and baffles the registry of a countless multitude of divergent 
impressions that elude separate treatment, and demand, as 
their legitimate heritage, the recognition of being considered 
as inseperable parts of the perfect whole. 

A journey from the sea to the crest of the Sierras, where 
the blue arch falls away from the zenith to an unobscured and 
perfect circular horizon on every hand, presents, aside from 
the winding stairway of its latter half, but little to prepare 
the mind for the grandeurs there revealed. 

The knowledge that many world-famed pens have in the 
past depicted impressions of the Yosemite Valley would decide 
that mine should remain idle, and it would be so but for the 
knowledge of experience, which proves that this master-work 
of the Hand Divine presents to every mind and heart impres- 
sions differing in degree, if, indeed, not in kind. 

It was on a June afternoon that I visited this wonderful 
spot. The rain was gently falling and the mist-clouds rolled 
in feathery blue-gray banks along every gorge and through 
the giant mountain pines, hanging over cliff and peak, shroud- 
ing the valley and the precipitous walls of four thousand feet 
to its bed below, thus presenting the novel appearance of unit- 
ing the earth and the clouds. 

My companion and I had spent many days — days which 
stand out and glow like radiant gems on the rosary of life, 
alternating with refreshing nights — traveling and camping 



6 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

in the valleys, through the canons and along the mountain 
steeps under the pines. 

We had visited the "Big Trees" — the Calaveras Grove 
— and in the presence of these gigantic creations, by the magic 
of their influence, had been made to feel for the moment, the 
mortification of being changed to the stature of Lilliputians. 
And no wonder, for these great trees — the Sequoia gigantea 
— are over three hundred feet in height, and the greatest of 
them are estimated to be at least four thousand years old. One 
of them, "The Father of the Forest" — long since fallen and 
prone — through its hollow trunk the fires had eaten, yet, its 
mammoth form was still firm and intact. Mounted upon a horse 
I had entered the hollow at its base and ridden for the distance 
of eighty-two feet along the interior of this great tree and 
emerged, sitting erect upon my horse, at a knot hole ; we had 
with us specimens of the bark of these great trees eighteen 
inches in thickness, and some of the little burrs or cones, the 
fruitage of these trees which recalls and emphasizes the parable 
of the mustard seed. 

We had been shown through one of the most gorgeous 
palaces of the earth's interior — the Calaveras Cave, and had 
ridden over Table Mountain, made famous by Mark Twain and 
Bret Harte. Our visit to the cave had proven a most wonder- 
ful surprise, owing to the fact, perhaps, that those who have 
seen have not said. Water working with lime proves itself a 
finished architect ; its lines are drawn with a grace and perfec- 
tion not to be excelled. This cave presents thousands of forms 
of remarkable beauty ; stalactites, stalagmites and corals all 
gleaming and sparkling with diamond luster, as the torch lights 
of our attendants bring them into view. One never-to-be-for- 
gotten creation was composed of great angel wings — several of 
them set about four inches apart ; thin, and almost transparent, 
with ribbons-fluttering-in-the-wind tracings, running through 
them, reflecting rainbow hues. A guide, striking them with 
muffled sticks, rang out the chimes, and then played a familiar 
air, which, owing to the surroundings, was weirdly pleasing. 
Here were cascades, white as polished silver, delicate as filmy 
laces ; streams of crystal waters foaming over stony and broken 
steeps presenting the marvelous illusion of ceaseless motion, 
yet, forever still. 

The Naiads, with the aid of la luna and the winds, never 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLDS WONDERLAND 




Beautiful Bridal Veil Fall. 620 Feet 



8 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

wove a more delicate broidery of silver light and contrasting 
shadow for festal robes in honor of their queen, than here 
appear as though floating over the dark background of solid 
stone. An iridescent dream of fairyland carved out of 
stone. Instantaneous petrifactions of roaring falls and foaming 
rivers, laughing rills and rushing cascades, sparkling fountains 
and gardens white with bloom; quaint figures of Nature's per- 
fect sculpturing representing, mayhap, poets, musicians, philos- 
ophers and deities of some fairy kingdom ruled by Nature 
spirits in the bygone centuries, and, perchance, still so ruled. 
Who knows? Is not intelligence manifest in the formation of 
these things? 

The memory of these striking object lessons and tbe 
thoughts which they aroused intermingling with the wealth of 
pleasurable anticipations which for years had been centered 
upon the revelations of this hour — a view of Yosemite — rallied 
all my powers of mind to reinforce observation. Nothing 
escaped my attention ; the scene, with every detail clear and dis- 
tinct, was photographed upon the plates of memory. I look 
them over after the lapse of more than twenty years, and there 
the blue jay — the noisy wastrel of the woods — flies screaming 
amid the pines; small dark clouds, wind-driven through the 
mists, sprinkle us in passing; the ferns sway and nod from 
amid the moss-covered rocks by the wayside ; the moist breeze 
fragrant, with the odors of the woods, fan us refreshingly, and 
a coyote comes out of the boulders by the now abandoned 
sheep fold and runs along with us not twenty feet distant. Yes, 
my mind was alert and my memory plastic. Has not Ralph 
Waldo Emerson said of the Yosemite Valley: "It is the only 
place I ever saw that came up to the brag"? Yes, the Yosemite 
must be all and more, from the very nature of its being, than 
has been or ever can be said of it. 

The afternoon is well worn as we approach the crest of the 
mountain range. The hour of revelation is at hand. Every 
heart beat thrills with the weight of expectancy. The winds 
sweep through the tree tops, testing the keys and setting them 
atremble ; the mists trail the course of the winds through the 
gorges and over the streams which break into roaring cascades 
as they dash on their way, surging and struggling, curling and 
foaming amid the rocks and boulders that deflect but cannot 
impede their course. 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 9 

The mist becomes more dense, then slowly changes into 
rain. The warm, tiny drops fall steadily. The rivulets by the 
roadside increase in volume and in motion. We are now trav- 
ersing the short decline from the crest to the valley. 

The roar of falling waters, which had long filled our ears, 
now perceptibly increase as we advance. It is like the 
constant roll of distant thunder. The incline of the roadway 
becomes more pronounced, and to our left that which we 
thought a denser cloud is seen to be a mountain up the perpen- 
dicular walls of which no foot has ever trod. We turn to the 
right, and behold ! the world 's wonderland lies before us. 



Yosemite 



The driver draws rein. We are speechless. Occasional deep 
breathings tell of the awakened emotions. We alight and 
approach the brink of the chasm. Is it the mist that begins 
to trouble our eyes? I observe my friend using his handker- 
chief with unwonted frequency, ostensibly on his field glasses, 
but I have a well founded suspicion that all of the moisture does 
not arise from the exterior. 

During the first lull in the storm of my emotions, or shall I 
say when I was first enabled to ride the successive waves of the 
conflicting emotions into which these powerful sights and 
sounds had thrown me, I began to adjust my mental compass 
and cast about for some guiding star. I at once realized how 
perfect must be the mental control of a general in the heat of 
battle who has the ability to direct his army with skill and 
effectiveness, when, on every hand his forces are being crushed 
by a seemingly irresistible enemy. I find it difficult to express 
my state of mind ; its anchor chains were snapped, the rudder 
was torn away, the rigging was swept from the deck of my 
mental ship, by the force and unexpectedness of the scene, yet, 
my feelings and emotions were the most delightful I had ever 
known. It was like being caught in a storm at sea where every 
wind and wave gave promise of life, more life, and crowning 
one with power and honors that raise to nobility. 

Should a lion of jungle ferocity leap with terrifying roar 
into the path directly before you while you were walking in the 
quiet of your garden, the shock could scarcely be greater than 



10 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

that which seized me when I found myself standing on the verge 
of the valley. I was poised on a perpendicular wall four 
thousand feet high ! The solid earth fell away from my feet ! 
To have moved forward would have been to step off the earth 
into seemingly fathomless space! 

Instinctively 1 drew back shuddering. The intensity of my 
feelings were overpowering. In its presence I was power- 
less ; before its voicings I was dumb. The abyss appeared 
bottomless. Glancing over the sheer wall into its impenetrable 
depths I felt as though raised to a dizzying sky-distance. A 
strange and mysterious power seized me as if to draw me down 
through its cloud-veiled depths. The faculties of my mind 
were shocked into a degree of activity and alertness that made 
practical strangers of them all. I was not my former self; the 
impressions flowing into my consciousness swept away all pre- 
vious concepts, and for the moment ruled supreme. 

To the fore, across the valley, the farther wall of which was 
now completely hidden by the mists, seemingly from out the 
heavens, a milk-white river came plunging through the air 
more than a thousand feet, being finally lost in a great white 
crater formed of its rebounding spray. 

The mists grew more dense, and the clouds drifted by, 
around, and over me, shrouding the view and folding their soft 
sheen into gray turbans about the nearer lofty peaks and 
domes. 

I look, then close my eyes, the better to impress the scene 
upon my memory, then look again, comparing the outward 
picture with the inward record, well knowing that, in all prob- 
ability, I shall never again experience an equal exaltation of 
the powers of observation. Is my memory faithfully recording 
the scene? Yes. I find it standing out, true in every line, as 
though cut with an artist's tool upon plates of steel! A men- 
tal cameo visualized, vitalized and indelibly inscribed. 

To my right, winding, wavering, fluttering, as white rib- 
bons streaming in the wind, came numerous silver tracings — 
lesser streams in their leap into space where they are tossed and 
whirled on the wings of the wind until broken into spray they 
lose their identity as streams and fall, man knows not where. 

Away down in the center of the gorge I could faintly trace 
through the mists, the outlines of the Merced river as its 
waters dashed and foamed amid the granite boulders of its 




YOSEMITE FALLS, 2600 feet 



12 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

bed, forming a continuation of cascades as far as the eye could 
see. 

Now I reach a new view point. The mists are clearing 
away and I am enabled to more clearly grasp the larger view. 
Behold these rivers of pearls and diamonds, five of them with 
many lesser streams, pouring out of the heavens, as the Kings 
of the Sierras make haste to tear the jewels from their crowns 
and fling them, with voicings of homage, into the lap of this 
dazzling Queen of all Nature's royal creations. 

Through a rift in the clouds, away beyond and above the 
head of the valley, standing out in bold relief, I beheld the 
colossal forms of Clouds Rest, Sugar Loaf, Cascade Cliffs, Mt. 
Starr King, and farther beyond, Mt. Lyell and his coterie of 
countless peaks and domes stretching away to seemingly limit- 
less sky-distances, peak after peak, dome after dome, spires 
and minarets rising from temples and mosques, mounting 
higher and still higher into the distant heavens, all snow- 
capped, cloud-wrapped and sky-mantled, glistening and flash- 
ing in the sunlight, and by contrast with the nearer beclouded 
scene, below and about me, rendered brilliant and dazzling 
beyond conception. 

A city set in the sky ; lifted above the clouds ; clothed in a 
flood of light ! The brilliant gleamings of the ice-cased spires 
and snow-capped domes, piercing the purple of the sky; the 
gold and crimson kisses of the declining sun, flashing back and 
forth, as if signalling the "All's well" to the distances veiled 
from human sight. What a scene ! He who sees not there 
the revelations of the Divine is afflicted with both mental and 
moral strabismus. It appeals not only to the eye and ear of 
man, but directly to his soul; its language is unconfmed. 

In the presentation of its wonderful message to the hearts 
and minds of men, there are no false notes. It plays not only 
upon every key of the auditory register, but it rings its music 
along every aisle of the temple of sensation, aAvakening the 
whole man. Pure as the heaven born winds and the crystal 
waters that bear its message, are the thoughts and emotions 
aroused by its voicings. 

Every sense perception flashes along the course of familiar 
experiences, and then beats against the limits of its capacity 
until wearied and exhausted it falls prone and helpless, realiz- 
ing that it must await a renewal and further growth of power; 



VOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 13 

the sight blurs in its efforts to observe the finer lineaments of 
the scene, and the ear, notwithstanding its marvelous aeuteness 
in discriminating sounds, loses the separate magic elm ids as 
they blend in the triumphal anthem. Like begets like; marvels 
beget marvels; revelations call for revelations. Nature sets no 
lesson we may not learn. This much to me was made plain. 

Listen! My vision was filled to repletion, and my ears 
were overflowing with sound when, marvel of marvels! I 
became aware that 1 was seeing without eyes and hearing with- 
out ears, for every nerve in my body had been awakened and 
was consciously responding to the torrent of sound and the 
revelations of light that flowed around, over, beneath and 
through me, with the same freedom and ease that sunbeams 
pierce the filmy mists. My very soul, trembling with the 
weight of expectancy, leaned out to catch the most subtle mean- 
ing, that it might rise on the wings of aspiration to greater 
heights than it yet had known, and then, caught in the grip of 
an irresistible power — the sense of all human littleness — ema- 
nating by contrast from the majestic presence of this master 
creation of the universe, it was thrown into the valley of humil- 
ity where, from necessity, it sank down to pray, in utmost weak- 
ness beseeching : 

' ' Father, Thy spirit ! light for our pathway, more light, still 
more light." 

In tones of majesty the very heart of nature speaks, pro- 
claiming the power and glory of the King of Kings. The earth 
trembles and the very air is vibrant as it receives the message. 
It sweeps through the canons and echoes through the forests. 
The tall pines sway in unison, keeping time to the music as it 
rises and falls in harmonious cascades of song. Caught by the 
winds the melody is carried to the upper sentinels which in 
turn flash the message to the sun. Fervent, commanding, dom- 
inant are its voicings, yet running through the billowy sea of 
sound there may be noted a thousand minor strains, soothing 
and persuasive as a mother's slumber song intoned to the 
accompaniment of crystal beads falling upon silver bells. 

Not on the printed page where, so graphically depicted, 
appear the accounts of the glorious achievements of former 
civilizations, nor in the record of the dark tragedies which mark 
their defeat ; not in the recital of the heroic deeds of valor done 
on the field of Marathon by the stalwart sons of Athens under 



14 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

the intrepid leadership of Miltiades where the initial victories 
for human liberty were won ; not in the accounts of the peerless 
sacrifices made by Sparta's sons when as ruler of Greece she 
was the pride and glory of the world ; not in all the records of 
imperial Rome seated on her seven hills and ruling the earth; 
not in the valorous deeds of the sturdy Englishmen on the fields 
of Agincourt and Crecy where their victories over the French 
marked one of the pivotal points of the world's history; not 
in the record of the first crime of brother against brother ; not 
in the record of any tragedy ever enacted or drama ever writ- 
ten, either secular or divine, from the account of the creation 
of light to the latest exhibition of the glory of "the ever recur- 
ring mystery," none, nor all of these have an equal power to 
quicken and to raise the mind to that degree of vision where it 
is enabled to realize and grasp so much of sublimity and gran- 
deur as are revealed in this first view of the Yosemite. 

It is the most striking presentation of truth I have ever 
seen. 

It is the most powerful revelation of truth to which I have 
ever listened. 

It is the unmistakable and unimpeachable word of God. 

No wonder that men see and hear, then tremble and adore! 
Here the Almighty speaks face to face witli man in a universal 
language. He speaks to all alike, revealing all of love and wis- 
dom and power that man can receive; His hand alone has 
fashioned it, and to contemplate it in silence and give heed to 
the marvelous lessons of truth by it revealed, is to come to 
Learn of the inherent evidence of things, wherein lie the ever 
unfolding manifestations of the Deity. Finite in form, yet 
limitless in revelation, satisfying every mental desire and justi- 
fying and stimulating, marvelously stimulating, the aspirations 
of the soul. 

This, my first view of the valley, caught from the eminence 
of the Tuolumne road, from whence the descent into the valley 
is begun, is impressive beyond portrayal. Here spread out to 
view is a scene beside which the imagery of a Haggard limps 
painfully. If all the imaginings and visions impressed upon 
the minds of men at any time anywhere could be composited, 
and contrasted witli it, 1 am sure that the latter would be found 
wanting in every essential of power and grace, of beauty and 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 



15 




16 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

sublimity. In its presence words are given new and intensified 
meanings. 

It has neither prototype nor similitude. 

The striking and forceful nature of the scene falls upon 
and crushes its way through the mind with a degree of power 
that hurls all the faculties of sensation into inextricable confu- 
sion. All preconcerted ideas and formulated outlines of its 
nature, from whatever source obtained, are utterly demolished 
and destroyed by this one first glance. Such was my experi- 
ence then, and such it has remained, unchanged and undimmed 
after the lapse of a quarter of a century. 

Shackled by the chains of its adamantine power my facul- 
ties of expression are made prisoners, bound and thrown into 
the cell of silence as I turned at the call of my companion to 
continue our way into the vallej^. I wave him on. He under- 
stands. I await until he has disappeared down the winding 
road which here begins its zig-zag course over the debris which, 
at this point, makes an entry into the valley possible. I had 
long since learned Nature 's mode of instruction to be individu- 
alistic ; that she initiates her candidates one at a time, passing 
them through her temples and instructing them in her deeper 
mysteries, each to the degree only which they have proven, by 
previous training, their worth and capacity to receive. 

Look! Away down, thousands of feet below me, swaying 
in the wind, as if signaling a welcome, the forest trees attest 
the permanence of the scene which for the moment I had 
found myself doubting, hesitating, disbelieving, yet ever being 
convinced of the reality of the form and coloring of things I 
had thought unreal. The valley is carpeted with luxuriant 
grasses through which the gleaming river dashes, throwing 
aloft in tenuous founts its glittering spray. 

I move on, reluctantly breaking the hold which my imme- 
diate surroundings throw about me. Lovely cascades come 
laughing down the mountain, leaping into the roadway, then 
over fern-nodding and moss-painted rocks, silvering the shad- 
ows of dogwood, the pure, white, star-shaped blossoms of which 
gleam in striking contrast to the deep green foliage. 

Alert with expectancy, filled with wonder, and a resultant 
feeling of tumultuous delight, I slowly continue my winding 
descent into the valley with emotions, I apprehend, much as the 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 17 

lowliest commoner would approach and enter the royal palace 
of his sovereign. 

At every step new and unique wonders are revealed, start- 
ling, soothing, astounding. The marvelous greatness is too 
colossal ; the beauty too appealing, the shocks arising from 
unexpectedness of the revelations follow each other in succes- 
sion too rapid to permit the mind to steady itself long enough 
for its grapnels to secure an anchorage for contemplation. 
Such surprises must cease before calm consideration may begin. 

Down, down, down, led the winding stairway, upon the 
narrow shelving, lapping fold over fold, presenting from its 
rapidly changing position on the canon's side a different point 
of observation from which the same objects present constantly 
changing features. As I approach the bed of the valley the 
trees below me assume more distinct outlines, and the music of 
the river cascades and of the distant falls, comes trembling 
through the forests and rebounding from the towering walls, 
softly repeat their mellifluous tones. 

Listen ! The current of sound changes as the wind funnels 
the air; now here, now there, and now I am in the course of 
its greatest volume of sound. It roars and tosses, surges and 
beats as the waves of an impalpable river, flowing on and filling 
with nerve trembling resonance the whole valley from wall to 
wall. 

Now I reach the clean, level, sanded floor of the valley ; 
the great walls tower above me on every hand in awful gran- 
deur ; they seem to curve in and lean over me. I involuntarily 
shudder lest they fall and crush — they seem to move ! Shut in 
from the world, the green floor of the valley, the gray granite 
of its majestic walls and the strip of blue at the zenith only are 
visible. I am in the bridal chamber of the King ! A deep 
feeling of reverential awe steals through the senses and I move 
with care lest my presence should mar, or in some manner 
destroy the dazzling brilliancy and delicate broidery of this 
royal palace. Colossal towers, dizzying spires, and palatial 
domes, all cloud-wrapped, snow-capped, and sky-mantled, over- 
tap the whole and render impressive beyond the power of 
speech to describe the effect which crushes Avith mountain 
weight upon the mind. 

Speaking of a visit made in 1860 to the valley, Horace 
Greeley said: "Of the grandest sights I have enjoyed — Rome 



18 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

from the dome of St. Peter's, the Alps from the valley of Lake 
Como, Mount Blanc and her glaciers from Chamouni, Niagara 
and the Yosemite — I judge the last named the most unique and 
stupendous. It is a partially wooded gorge, one hundred to 
three hundred rods wide, and three thousand to four thousand 
feet deep, between almost perpendicular walls of gray granite, 
and here and there a dark yellow pine, rooted in a crevice of 
either wall, and clinging with desperate tenacity to its dizzy 
elevation. The isolation of the Yosemite, the absolute wilder- 
ness of its sylvan solitudes, many miles from human settlement 
or cultivation, its cascade two thousand feet high, though the 
stream which makes this leap has worn a channel in the hard 
bedrock to a depth of one thousand feet, renders it the grandest 
marvel that ever met my gaze." 

To particularize is, in a large measure, to destroy. Es- 
pecially is this true of the Yosemite. Not that the separate 
factors which enter into and compose the whole of this grand 
scene are not in every sense worthy of distinct consideration, 
but because the effect of one part cannot be separated from the 
influence of all the other parts, so closely are they grouped, so 
interlaced and interwoven are their influences that they 
together form one grand and glorious whole that admits of no 
division. In this, all who have visited the valley will agree, 
but to those who have not seen with their eyes, and heard with 
their ears, felt with their hearts, and had the measure of their 
understanding filled to overflowing with the overshadowing 
powers and forces here presented, this statement may seem 
strange. Well, it is a strange spot. It contravenes, challenges, 
defies and overshadows all the other works of nature. It stands 
alone, unsurpassed in earthly loveliness, and crowned with 
robings of illuminating glory all divine. 



El Gapitan 



This overshadowing monument is unquestionably one of the 
grandest and most massive rocks in the world. It cannot be 
adequately described by metes and bounds for measurements of 
thousands of feet, when applied to a rock, conveys no relative 
meaning to the mind of its imposing nature, its grandeur, its 
power and its colossal size. Names of ordinary things carry 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 19 

with them a general sense of their relation to other things. 
such as men, animals, birds, but not so with El Capitan. It 
stands in a class by itself, and might justly be referred to as 
The Bock, there being none other of similar size in the known 
world. 

When the forces of civilization, both mental and physical, 
under monarchic rule rendered centralization possible, the 
acme of architectural construction was achieved. St. Peter's, 
ending with the skilled and famous hand of Michael Angelo, 
stands as the chef d'oeuore of all human constructural effort. 
But wonderful as is this completed design of human achieve- 
ment, its importance compared to these grand temples of God is 
as the pebble to the mountain. If some unmeasured and incom- 
prehensible force should hurl it with the swiftness of a cannon 
ball against the face of El Capitan, though ground to powder by 
force of striking, it would effect this great rock much as one 
of our greatest ironclads would be by the striking of a pea 
thrown from a school boy's sling. 

It is too great for one to easily comprehend, and any at- 
tempt to familiarize one's self with it only serves to expand 
and enlarge its individuality. The giant pines growing upon 
its crest appear like sprays and twigs when viewed from the 
valley, and moving horsemen there can be but faintly discerned. 

If some convulsion of nature should throw it over upon its 
face, as now presented to the valley, it would require one hun- 
dred and sixty acres for its bed. Mountain pines, giants of the 
forest, appear upon its bosom, much as mosses adorn rocks that 
are elsewhere called large. Heights, elsewhere termed "dizzy," 
would serve but for suitable stepping stones of approach to 
these marvelous temples "not made with hands." God's work 
here shown is above man's, as infinity is above the finite. 

Looking across the valley, yet, for the purposes of inspec- 
tion, practically already at its base, we see "Cathedral Rock." 
Carved out of one solid mass, this vast structure presents an 
appearance very suggestive of a great cathedral. The two spires 
are literal spires, piercing the skies, from their elevated foun- 
dation, for nearly one thousand feet. They are marvelously 
beautiful and strikingly suggestive of the solemn offices to 
which they have been dedicated. One pauses instinctively as 



20 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

if waiting to hear the chimes peal forth from that cloud 
wrapped belfry. But all wait in vain, for — 

Xo foot has pressed those stairways dizzy, 

No hand has touched those silent bells ; 
No mortal sacristan there busy, 

Silence alone the story tells ; 
Those aisles untrod, save by the spirits, 

Whose mortal forms rest 'neath the sod ; 
They only have the power to hear its 

Chimes of God. 

In its presence, my feelings of solemnity were deepened, 
and with head uncovered and inclined, I adored the Supreme 
Ruler of the Universe, as I do not recall to have ever done 
before, so clearly and unmistakably do these great monuments 
reveal His wisdom, power and beneficence to man. 

Just in the rear of ''Cathedral Rock," "The Bridal Veil" 
leaps from a precipitous wall, and for a thousand feet through 
the air, wavers and shimmers in all the purity of its dazzling 
whiteness, singing forever an anthem to the King. These falls 
may well be given the best attention of the traveler, as they 
are thoroughly individualistic and of a singularly charming 
presence, especially is this true of the rainbows to be seen in 
its rebounding mists and fountains of spray at about the hour 
of three o'clock in the afternoon of a bright summer's day. 
The day will pass, the river may in time dry up, even the 
valley may be destroyed, but so long as human consciousness 
lives to attest the truth, the picture of the rainbows here wit- 
nessed will remain clear and distinct as jewels of memory's 
most precious possessions. 

A step farther toward the head of the valley, and on my 
left hand appears the "Three Brothers," to the most lofty of 
which has been given the very appropriate name of "Eagle's 
Peak." From the crest of the last mentioned of the many 
elevated outlooks about the valley, a most complete and mag- 
nificent view is presented. On my right stands "Sentinel 
Rock, ' ' posed a little to the fore of the south wall of the valley, 
and in an attitude impressively suggestive of the name it 
bears. 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 



21 




rofile of Nevada Fall. 594 Feet 



22 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

Yosemite Falls 

Turning to our left, although before noting one-half the 
above it has riveted our attention, gleams and roars the center- 
piece of this famous collection of the world's natural wonders 
— "Yosemite Falls." A river forty feet wide and six feet deep 
plunges from off the mountain's crest, and like a great column 
of illuminated pearls and diamonds crashes through the air 
for a distance of three thousand feet, where its milk-white foam 
is dashed into impalpable globules which form mist clouds that 
roll upwards, enveloping the falls for hundreds of feet from its 
base, holding in their changing sheen the most brilliant rain- 
bows which present a picture so beautiful and fascinating that 
it baffles all attempts at description and eludes all efforts at 
comparison. 

One takes no note of time while in the Yosemite. The 
ordinary incidents of life are passed by without mention. We 
had camped in a beautiful grove just opposite Yosemite Falls, 
and had slept soundly notwithstanding the continuous thunder 
of the waters. 

We arose early and trusting to the superior wisdom and 
native caution of a thoroughly trained mule that proved sure- 
footed as a Blondin, we began the ascent of the narrow trail 
that, leads through a very narrow gorge, almost undiscernible 
to the gaze from the valley which parallels the course of these, 
the most striking and beautiful falls to be met with in the 
world. 

The trail is safe, but it don't look it; the mule is safe, but 
it don't look it; everything about the valley looks different 
than it does elsewhere. But remembering that man lives by 
faith, I mounted the piece of animated statuary assigned me 
and was soon on my way up the tortuous trail leading to 
"Eagle's Peak" which guards the river from all interference 
from the encroachment of things that might interfere with its 
prize acrobatic feat in all of nature's activities. 

As you approach the foot of the lower falls, the clouds of 
mist lie over, and in falling bedew your way. One moment the 
falls are in full view and the next you pass behind some great 
boulder or wind through some matting formed of the man- 
zanita, small, spreading water oaks, or a grove of pines, and the 
glistening column is for the moment lost to view, but the ear 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 23 

is ever noting the constant though ever changing music which 
rolls and echoes, rising and falling, thundering and sobhing 
through the rocky, shrub-clad aisles and cozy amphitheaters of 
the gorge. You reach the small table or ledge which forms the 
base of the great falls. The clouds of mist enwraps and covers 
you over as with a film of the most delicate silver broidery ; the 
roar and thunder of the river as it strikes for the first time in 
its fall of fifteen hundred feet, is deafening. Looking up your 
eye follows the white, mist-wrapped falls to the point where it 
seemingly leaps out of the blue sky. 

The sensations awakened are strange and bewildering. 
Your environments are new, and the reflection, caught from 
your innermost nature, introduces you to a seeming 
stranger, so peculiar are your ruling emotions. About you 
circling within a span of your knees and at regular spacings, 
appear as your focus of vision changes, and in regular order a 
multitude of rainbows of the most gorgeous hues, the smallest 
arching brilliant, but some two or three feet from point to 
point, while the largest, viewed from some distance above, from 
a point on the trail which ascends in spiral steeps to the left 
of the falls, is some five hundred yards, as the string sets to the 
bow, in span. 

We are provided with rubber coats, and under the direc- 
tion of our guide we are led over the wet stones until we stand 
against the wall directly back of the falls. To measure, to 
regulate, or to note, in order our sensations, would be to attempt 
the impossible. I take hold of the hand of my guide and ad- 
vancing thrust the other hand into the shining stream ; it is 
flung to my side tingling from the force of the falling waters. 

Where Earth and Heaven Meet 

You travel to the crest of the great mountain wall and 
approach along the bed of the foaming river, to the point where 
it takes its tremendous plunge to its creation of supernal 
beauty below. You summon all of courage at your command, 
and with cautious movements crawl along the granite boulders 
until you can look over into the awful chasm below. Beside 
you this mill-race of the gods is rushing in all the rage of its 
tremendous power, here and there, striking upon some boulder 



24 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

which, projecting from the bed of the stream is firmly held iu 
the vice-like grip of the mountain's power, and the whirling 
waters are broken and tossed aloft in diamond columns and 
jeweled fountains of surpassing brilliancy and beauty. Look 
again; down, down, down, the glittering river with perian 
whiteness pours, and from your dizzying height the distance 
seems interminable. Sublime and majestic in its awful gran- 
deur it appears. Lying prone, I watch the powerful sweep of 
the body of the stream as it, like a swift runner, reaches its 
greatest speed just before taking its tremendous leap of three 
thousand feet from the granite wall, to the valley below. It 
grips, it clutches, it draws as if to impel one to leap with it over 
the wall. There is a small pine, gnarled and stunted, yet hold- 
ing its grip with roots twined in the creviced rocks as though 
possessed of more than human love of life. Its slim body 
inclines with the course of the falls, leaning far over and beyond 
the wall as if to watch the river dashed to mist and spray on 
the rocks below. 

I crawl along until I can grasp the body of this small 
conifer; I shake it, or rather, I try to shake it, but find that I 
cannot do so. It is firm, solid and unyielding. Slowly and 
steadily I draw myself toward the root of this pine. I have 
never realized how very great a distance one's arm can be 
made to reach ; the distance seemed interminable, but at length 
I am lying with eyes looking down over the edge of the 
wall. One fleeting glance and I close my eyes. The very 
mountain seems to sway and totter. The sight was appalling, 
thrilling, astounding. The river striking the solid bench or 
jut in the wall fifteen hundred feet below pours into a great 
white crater surrounded by a mountain of spray and mist 
thrown up by the tremendous force of its fall, which boils 
and shifts and foams, presenting a bewildering display of 
motion equalled by no other object I have ever seen. It laughs 
and shrills and shrieks as the wind dashes and shreds the sound 
and spray amid the upper craigs of the gorge. Fifteen hun- 
dred feet of seething, dashing, roaring, raging water, capped 
with clouds of mist that roll upwards, up, up, up, until they 
crest the mountain and float away, appearing like smoke, 
wreathing amid the pines, the sunlight flittering through it all, 
presenting an indescribable scene of the most gorgeous beauty 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 25 

and entrancing charm ; motion — the crowning grace and speech 
of form appearing in all of its bewitching elusiveness. 

Small streams were being continuously torn from either 
side of the falls, resembling rockets of liquid silver shooting 
out into space, diverging farther and farther from the main 
column, their points being forced into continuous rings of mist 
by their rapid flight through the air, marking the termi- 
nous of flight until the shaft, torn from the main body of the 
river, sped on until its shining form was turned into rings of 
tiny clouds which hover, poise for a moment, then reunite with 
the falling water, or caught upon the wings of the wind, are 
transported skyward to fall again in drops of rain or feathery 
flakes. Skyrockets of water ! and the setting ! it is nowhere 
else to be found. The view is worth the risk. The impression 
is indelible. 

I steady myself and draw cautiously back, crawling some 
distance before trusting myself on my feet. I then arose and 
started to where I had parted with my companion. Looking 
up I saw him, making the most frantic gestures, his mouth 
flying open and shutting rapidly. This I could see, but I could 
not hear any sound save the roaring of the waters. When I 
approached within hearing distance, I found that he was be- 
rating me soundly for what I had just done. He was thor- 
oughly unnerved, and not without cause, for but a little dis- 
tance away two ladies lay in a dead faint, caused by my, to 
them, daring act. I had not thought of the effect of my act 
upon others, a very grievous fault, all too common to our 
humanity. 

A gentle sprinkle of water from the stream soon revived 
them, and they laughed heartily over the momentary thrill, 
which to them had proved overwhelming. 

I turned away and farther up the still towering form 
of "Eagle's Peak" selected a spot where I might enjoy the 
glorious view undisturbed. Almost the whole of the valley lay 
spread out to view beneath me. 

Here are the nooks where the bluebirds nest and the four- 
leaved clover blows. 

Here the dreamer is awakened and lives the dream of 
dreams ; he feels the very presence of omnipotence as he looks 
upon these death-defying immensities, calling from the 
shadows of Time's young centuries, through the echoless tern- 



26 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

pies of sleep ; he becomes aware of the meaning of the ulti- 
mate word — the message of immortality — and all but hears 
pronounced the ineffable name, as the curtain rises and he 
looks toward Jerusalem. 

I here introduce the words of my brother, A. D. Kyle, 
who, gazing upon this scene, before entering into the great 
silence, paid it the following beautiful tribute: 

"A fabulous realm of billowing meadows 

On the rim of a plangent sea, 

Filled to the gates with magical dreams 

From the vales of sweet Araby; 

The glad note of bird and murmuring fountains, 

Violet skies and myth-haunted mountains, 

Cumuli clouds and silvery light, 

Lesbian songs when the curtains of night 

Are shimmering softly with stars ; 

Of memories rare as faint odors blown 

From groves of magnolia, or fields all abloom 

With sweet mignonette in sunshine of June — 

The rustle of leaves, the silking of corn, 

The gleam of pansies so fair, 

With breath of rosemary — and rue ; 

For thou are The White Oleander, it seems, 

High Priestess of landscape and dreams ; 

Thou art the fleet-footed huntress, Diana, 

Goddess of mountain and streams." 

Tn the central view to the south appears "Half Dome." 
which rises nearly five thousand feet into the sapphire heavens, 
presenting the appearance of having been cleft in twain by a 
stroke of the sword of the Almighty, the "Half" left standing 
with smooth face to the valley. The imposing grandeur and 
magnificence of its presence are awe inspiring; even at this 
distance its presence may be felt as it sweeps the scene with an 
air of commanding power. "North Dome," "Glacier Peak" 
and other grand monuments appear about the southern wall 
of the valley, and there in the distance, glinting and flashing 
in the sunlight comes the winding Merced, forming in its 
plunges over the terraced walls, the "Nevada," and the Vernal 
Falls which are among the most beautiful objects in the valley. 

In the farther southern distance I can catch glimpses of 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 



27 




Beautiful Mirror Lake. Yosemite 



28 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

the four lesser valleys of the Yosemite, all similar in structure 
and surroundings to that of the main valley. More abrupt 
granite walls ; more glistening, foaming, milk-white falls ; more 
towering snow-capped peaks, more sylvan solitudes and lovely 
woodland nooks ; in short, an inexhaustible supply of nature 's 
unfailing fountains of pleasure. 

I move back from the scene, wandering through the pines 
until the music of the valley comes in muffled tones, occa- 
sionally broken by the thunders of the greater falls, then I 
turn and slowly retrace my steps. The ever changing cadence 
of the music of the valley recalled to my mind an occasion 
when I had listened to the "Anvil Chorus" rendered by a band 
of five hundred instrumentalists, playing upon every form 
and fashion of musical instruments productive of harmonious 
chords, from the nuance of sound, the tinkle of glass goblets 
gently struck by forks of silver, the oboe, the lute, the violin, 
the harp and wind instruments of every nature, until the swell- 
ing volume of sound was merged into the clash of the great 
hammers wielded by brawny arms upon the anvils, the ocean 
of sound reaching its highest wave in the thunders of artillery 
accompaniment. 

At night we lay looking out of our open tent upon a world 
seemingly unreal. Through the glimmering gates woven of 
the moon's beams and the mists which opened up a road that 
stretched away starward and beyond, through the limitless 
bounds of space, listening to the voices of the night ; the effect 
was soothing, pleasing, refreshing. 

For many days I rode and walked about the valley slowly 
learning to enlarge impressions I had thought already full- 
grown. The effect is to teach humility, but at the same time 
to enlarge every intellectual quality of the mind. 

Day after day, mounted upon a faithful burro, to which 
I became greatly attached, I rode up the blank walls of the 
valley mounting skyward as the housefly ascends the walls of 
a room to the ceiling, at least this illustration fits the sensa- 
tions that accompany the rising of the heart in the throat as 
one 's mount makes a pivot of its hind legs and describes a half 
circle with its fore feet in making the turn about the point 
dividing the "zig" from the "zag" in the constantly changing 
stairways mounting up the perilous steeps that lead to the 
towering points where sky, clouds and peaks intermingle. 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 29 



Mirror Lake 



The nature of the crystal waters of this lake proclaim iis 
name ; no lettered plate could add aught of information. This 
statement is alike true of everything in creation, that stands 
as a finished and completed product. 

In this lake reflection is perfected ; peaks, crag, tower, 
dome, woods, sky, clouds and every object caught within range 
is reproduced, cleared of the hazy effect of the atmosphere. 
The illustration is more striking than the reality; the effect 
more fascinating than the cause; the picture more beautiful 
than the original. 

It is the hour of dawn. Our eyes are fastened upon the 
objects that are now coming into view in the depths of the lake. 
Slowly the waters take on an opalescent hue; the grey, the 
mauve, the blue become each moment more distinct. The out- 
lines of Washington Column are now very clearly discerned. 
There is a small white cloud resting just above the great moun- 
tain's crest. As the objects below become clearer and clearer 
to the sight the waters disappear ; they have become a crystal 
lense through which we look upon the scene below. The dis- 
solving of the shadows and the coming of the light were one 
act. The coloring in the depths is intensified, it is iridescent, 
gleaming and flashing the colors of the peacock clam and 
mother-of-pearl. 

The cloud ! the cloud ! it is suffused with crimson — it glows 
— it is aflame ! And now the God of Day, clothed in the radi- 
ant splendor of his imperial power sweeps over the mountain's 
crest and ushers in his rule. The picture a duplicate creation ! 
"As above, so below!" and we, standing on the narrow divid- 
ing line between two worlds, two suns, two skies, two days each 
arched with radiant sky-distances immeasurable ! 

The depths are equal to the heights. It was as though all 
objects were founded upon some invisible base line, extending 
equally in diametric opposition, each pointing to limitless 
space, each saying by its perfect presence. "I am the 
sky. " "I am the cloud. " "I am the mountain. " "I am the 
tree." "I am the sun." "I am the day." I have never been 
so impressed with the fascination of illusion ; it draws and grips 
and holds. The seeming contest for supremacy is exciting 
while it lasts. And before going the illusion seemed to say : 



30 YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 

"I have effected more in my short hour of life than have my 
crass counterparts. I have given more pleasure and created 
more interest than they. I was a thing of beauty, and will live 
in the minds of all who have been permitted to behold my coun- 
tenance. The wise will be slow to withhold from me the honors 
that are my due." 

You feel your very soul becoming infused with the match- 
less glory of the scene ; you strive to push back the walls of 
your understanding that you may grasp more of the majesty, 
the beauty and grandeur of this revelation direct from the 
Master's hand. You look, and look, and look again — the mys- 
tery is not solved — it deepens. Unlettered revelations, vivid as 
the lightning severing the storm ! 

This magical lake forms one of the most refreshing spots 
to be found on the road of life's experiences. I lift its chalice 
to my lips and drink and drink again of the ambrosial wine 
distilled from the royal splendors of the earth's immensities, 
the sermonizing pines, pointing steadfastly upward and feel the 
glow of the fires which are kindled upon the altar of aspiration. 
The winds seem whispering a benediction, and from the heart of 
the mysterious depths and heights is made known this truth : 
To live with nature is to dwell with God. 

"We come to take our last view of the valley before starting 
out on our return trip. The morning shadows lie within the 
valley while the upper walls, the peaks, the domes, the spires 
and clouds are bathed in the golden flood of morning light ; 
silver bands murmuring nature's sweetest notes as they sway. 
flutter and break in falling through the air ; grand rivers leap- 
ing over the walls and falling for thousands of feet; grandeurs 
so powerful and beauties so delicate that none save memory's 
largest and most retentive urn can receive and retain but the 
faintest impressions of the marvels of this world 's wonderland. 

As well attempt to lay hands on and retain the rainbow, 
or scale with other than the wings of imagination, these tower- 
ing walls and spires of granite as to attempt to convey the 
impressions here received to others. Each must see and hear 
and feel, and become bewildered — lost and baffled in the at- 
tempt to understand, before any true sense of the influence of 
the valley may be realized. 

The winds are touching the organ of the pines, and ming- 
ling with the thunder of the falls, are echoing and re-echoing 



YOSEMITE, THE WORLD'S WONDERLAND 31 

through the vast galleries with soft, sibilant vibrations, dis- 
tinctly audible and separate; the massive walls and towering 
columns impress you anew with their unmeasured power and 
grandeur. They photograph, through the camera of the eye, 
a thousand pictures which will remain forever stored away in 
the picture gallery of the mind, furnishing at will a wealth of 
pleasure for contemplation in after years. 

# No other hour of life has furnished a tithe of the education 
and elevating instruction which were crowded into this, our 
first view of the valley. 

It stands out as a scene of grandeur, beauty and magnifi- 
cence, unequalled by any other known creation of the Almighty. 

As year after year of life shall pass over us, and deeper 
griefs and more earnest efforts shall expand and develop our 
capacity to enjoy, we shall return with full and complete confi- 
dence in the power of this valley to furnish a full and overflow- 
ing measure of new and enlarged impressions to satisfy and 
even to surpass our powers to comprehend their teachings. 

The enchanting paths of pleasure here terminate only at 
the limit of one's capacity to grasp and comprehend. 

The whole valley is kaleidoscopic ; pen cannot depict, nor 
can brush portray the subtle charm of its ever shifting scenes ; 
each step the scene is changed and presents a view that holds 
the gavel of the mind uplifted, and it falls not in decision as to 
which one of them is entitled to preferment. Its voicings and 
impressions are immeasurable and uninterpretable. Its music, 
flowing from nature's grand kallifthorgan set in the eternal 
hills, and played by the rivers, winds and storms, furnish fitting 
anthems for its imperishable temples. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

017 168 325 7 1 




